Well, I *was* going to talk about the knitting... all of it.

So much to talk about, so little time! I've been trying to blog for ages now, but just haven't found the time... or when there is time, the inspiration. No matter though, I'm sure that y'all will still love me even if I just start posting pictures and write a little bit about the knitting. :) (Well, at least I hope so.)

There has been lots of knitting - mostly starting stuff - here at Chez Stash. Hmmm, where to begin? (I'd like to use the pictures in my Flickr account, but I can't figure out how to get them here. Any hints?)

Okay, what might these three pictures be? The Silk Shrug from Erika Knight's Classic Knits book. Once I got down to actually knitting the garment, it flew through my fingers. Partially because it was so easy to do, partially because the silk is quite divine to work with, and partially because America's Next Top Model just makes for great TV knitting. (Hey, we all have our guilty pleasures, don't hate!) The pattern was written using the Jaeger Silk DK, but have you really ever known me to use the yarn asked for? Nah! I had 8 hanks of the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in stash (really 7, as one hank is in the back of another shrug I attempted to knit) which just happened to be the amount I figured out I'd need. When does that ever happen?

So, as the pictures might be able to tell you, pieces were pinned out - in shifts, as my blocking board isn't big enough for all of them at once - and partially seamed together. Why partially? Well, the shoulder seams were no problem. The sleeves, however... a different story altogether. I'm not quite sure why I didn't question the sleeve shaping, but no matter. Basically, the set in sleeves that I knit don't entirely match the armholes I knit. And yes, I knit both to pattern. I had to rip out the first sleeve seam a number of times to try to get it right. When was this? Right before MD$W. So after staying up until 3am to get it right, I flung it to the side and promptly forgot about it for over a month. Surprise, surprise. :) I picked it up yesterday and brought it to work to finish seaming it, just to get it done. With lots of encouragement from the back table (and much cursing of the sleeves from me), I got it done. I even wove in all the ends before I went to sleep.

I was a bit worried that it'd be a bit small - I only ended up using 6.5 skeins of the silk, instead of the 8 I thought I would. The surprise was that it is a great fit. A little larger than I expected, but really, just what I wanted. Of course there are no pictures yet of the finished product. Last night, the camera battery died, I charged it, thought I took it to work today, but there was no camera to be found. :( I'll try to get pictures soon - I'll use the Elspeth method, I just need to ask her for some pointers.

Next up is Emily. Some of you might remember the last time I knit Emily. Way back in 2005. Wrong, wrong yarn that time. This time? Well, while I'm not using the recommended yarn (Twilley's Denim Freedom) I am using a yarn that knits up to the same gauge and has the same properties of the Twilley's: Rowan Denim. It is a well established fact that unless it's 4-ply, I hate cotton with a passion. Not anymore. I LURRRRVE the Denim. While it makes my hands look like a Smurf, I love the feel of this yarn. I hated swatching it, but I love working with it. That last picture is a bit of a fib, though. I finished the back ages ago and immediately cast on for the front. I've gotten one row in. That's it. Life takes over, I guess.

I had to include that picture of the knitted fabric and that end in there. I just thought it was a beautiful contrast and really interesting how the yarn is dyed.

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Crappers! It looks like I broke Typepad's image uploading tonight... I will just have to put up a partial post for the time being. (See Rossana? I met the challenge of the pinky swear! Just a little later than expected. LOL.) I'll have to make this a "to be continued..." and I'll post tomorrow. (Even shocking things! Take your guess as to what that might be...)

Comments

[Lauren]

Hey Holly, click on a photo, then "See different sizes", copy and paste the html code in the box into typepad, and you should be ready to go.

[Rossana]

Hee hee! We did good on our pinky swears, eh?

[Ann]

yay for updates!
that shrug is SO cute. I covet. ;)

[danielle]

Having pet - though not nuzzled - the shrug in question, I can fully verify the squishy goodness.

[Sneaksleep]

Oh, I hope you'll bring it back to the back table in August, when I resurface. I want to pet it!

[Cathi]

You have been busy! I am definitely aching to try the denim....I just need to be good and try not to buy yarn right now.

[Sara]

That shrug is gorgeous (I both saw and petted it). Huzzah for finished objects. I like your little book and music blog widgets--Margeret Atwood is one of my favorite authors of all time! Also, Jenny Lewis owns me. OWNS. ME.

[Yvonne]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HOLLY...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUuuuUUuuUu!!
(windows cracking, sirens sounding...yeah.)

[Barbara]

I can't pet your shrug but I can sure admire the gorgeous color green! Wow!

[Barbara]

I love looking at the photos of your green and blue color groupings... yarn is so beautiful!

[dani]

PSSST! Tag, you're it, you non-blogging HO!

[dani]

PSSST! Tag, you're it, you non-blogging HO!

[Lara]

When you gonna update this thing, girlie?

[Lara]

ps- I tagged you TOO!!!

[Chelsea]

Tag. You're it.